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Wednesday, September 27, 2000
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Young workers at annual meetings enjoy experience, prestige and high salaries By Frantisek Bouc "It's like being a slave for a week," said Petr, a 25-year-old law student. "You need to serve your clients 24 hours a day." But he's not complaining. Student workers agree the money, work experience and prestige far outweigh the hassles. Petr was hired for the summit's duration by the Europcar limousine service. He works as a driver for summit delegates, shuttling them to the destinations of their choice. "If a client gives you a call at four in the morning, you have to put your suit on and take him where he wants, be it a casino or a house." For students, joining the IMF/World Bank meeting staff was not only a busy way to begin their school year, but also a lucrative work experience. Some applied for their short-term positions more than six months ago. For some, it was a first big step toward a professional career. "It's like hitting the jackpot," Petr said. "You get 1,000 Kc [$25] for one day. ... You can hardly find a better-paid short-time job being a student." Students usually earn about 55 Kc an hour, said Jaroslava Javorska, owner of a headhunting firm called Studentservis. Jobs with the IMF/World Bank meetings gave students a unique chance to make a lot more. According to Hana Belincova, a manager at Grafton Recruitment, students who work for the IMF and World Bank are also enjoying a measure of prestige. "The IMF/World Bank meeting was a high-profile event and everyone wanted to somehow take part," she said. Screening for students A major recruiter for the financial summit was the Adecco agency. The headhunting began in March with 1,700 applicants. When the smoke cleared, Adecco's director, Ludmila Schaferova, said about 1,300 people got jobs. Most were university students. "This was by far the largest amount of people we've recruited for one particular event," Schaferova said. All candidates had to take written and oral language-skills tests. They also were screened as possible opposers of the IMF and Bank. Like Adecco, Grafton's Belincova said her agency hired students based on language skills and experience in their particular job areas. Schaferova said working for the summit was a "significant experience for students," allowing them to get a jump start on their future careers. In August, Czech labor offices registered 69,609 unemployed job-seekers who were university or high school graduates. The number of unemployed graduates will rise this fall. But Schaferova said students who accept temporary employment, such as positions tied to the IMF/World Bank meetings, will have a better shot at finding full-time work. Frantisek Bouc's e-mail address is fbouc@praguepost.cz More business stories
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The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
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